August 23, 2025

Big news in India’s online gaming world! Pokerbaazi has announced it will immediately stop all real money gaming on its platform. Why the sudden move? The Parliament passed the Online Gaming Bill on August 21, 2025, which has shaken up the entire industry. Pokerbaazi released a statement saying, "With a very heavy heart, we announce that PokerBaazi will be pausing its operations in compliance with The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025. Effective immediately, no real money games will be offered on our platform." Sounds serious, right? The company also told users not to worry: their money is completely safe. Players can still access their wallets and make withdrawals without any trouble. Plus, Pokerbaazi’s Player Relations team is there to help customers with any questions during this confusing time. This is a huge blow because Nazara Technologies Ltd. owns 46.07% of Moonshine Technologies Pvt. Ltd., the company that runs Pokerbaazi. That stake alone is worth a whopping ₹800 crore! Nitish Mittersain, Joint MD and CEO of Nazara, told CNBC-TV18, “We own about 46% in the company, and it’s speculative now, because we don’t know what the content of the Bill is. But if there is a move, as the media has reported, to ban online real money gaming, then of course, that particular investment could potentially be at risk.” The drama doesn’t stop with Pokerbaazi. Other big players like Dream11, Zupee, Mobile Premier League (MPL), Probo, and My11Circle have already started shutting down their real money gaming apps. All eyes are on the President to see if the bill gets signed into law. The new Online Gaming Bill aims to ban real money gaming apps altogether. Passed during the monsoon session of Parliament, it now waits for the President’s nod. Until then, companies like Pokerbaazi are stuck in a whirlpool of uncertainty. So, what does the future hold for India’s online gaming stars? Hold tight, because the game is far from over!

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Tags: Pokerbaazi, Online gaming bill, Real-money gaming, Nazara technologies, India, Gaming industry,